Boil water in a jiffy with hot pot

• By Michelle Ramos
• Aug. 1, 2017

Proctor Silex’s Durable Hot Pot boasts on its packaging that it is “Faster Than a Microwave,” so I had to see whether it was true. Read more

Slicer quarters produce nicely

• By Michelle Ramos
• July 25, 2017

OXO’s device (also known as the Tot Grape Cutter on oxo.com and bedbathandbeyond.com) quarters fruit quickly and easily with a single push by the thumb. Read more

Quickpit is an efficient cherry pitter

• By Michelle Ramos
• July 18, 2017

With cherry season just beginning, I was excited to receive Chef’n’s Quickpit cherry pitter. Read more

Garlic press shows improvements

• By Michelle Ramos
• July 11, 2017

Dreamfarms Garject Lite improves on the garlic press with its self-cleaning component. Read more

Peeler keeps chestnut intact

• By Michelle Ramos
• July 4, 2017

I thought I’d happened on a spectacular find in Kai House Select’s roasted chestnut peeler, a way to save my uncles the trouble of splitting open chestnuts with their teeth. Read more

Mandoline stand-in proves safer to use

• By Michelle Ramos
• June 27, 2017

For cooks hesitant to use mandolines for safety reasons, Kuhn Rikon’s Easy Cut may be the ideal device. Read more

Tool pits, but mangles, mangoes

• By Michelle Ramos
• June 20, 2017

A mango-slicing gadget seemed like the perfect tool for someone like me — I love mango but am sensitive to the sap. Read more

Not all juicers are easy peasy lemon squeezy

• By Michelle Ramos
• June 13, 2017

A reader emailed asking for a good “lemon squeezer.” Read more

Cutter saves time skinning kiwi

• By Michelle Ramos
• June 6, 2017

At a price of $9.99 this gadget was worth a try. Read more

Doohickey for rice saves time

• By Michelle Ramos
• May 30, 2017

Rapid Brands’ Rapid Rice Cooker promises “Perfect Instant Rice in 3 Minutes!” — not to be mistaken for perfect rice, instantly. Read more

Air fryer an OK substitute for oil

• By Michelle Ramos
• May 23, 2017

Makers of the NuWave fryer state that it “fries” foods without fat or oil, using “hot air with high-speed air circulation. Read more

Yonanas produces refreshing desserts

• By Michelle Ramos
• May 16, 2017

Dole claims that its Yonanas “turns any frozen fruit into soft serve” — similar to the nondairy banana soft serve offered at Banan on University Avenue. Read more

Corn silk remover fails to remove silk

• By Michelle Ramos
• May 9, 2017

I enjoy eating corn on the cob, but it’s a pain to remove the corn silk. Read more

Readers rave about dicer, egg cooker, butter mill

• By Michelle Ramos
• May 2, 2017

This week I would like to share two favorite gadgets of our readers. Read more

Egg cooker an imperfect device

• By Michelle Ramos
• April 25, 2017

While the the Casabella Exact Egg Boiler does work, there were some stumbling blocks, so its usefulness will depend on the operator. Read more

Mandoline keeps fingers safe

• By Michelle Ramos
• April 18, 2017

Chef’n has created a mandoline that lessens the hazards of using such a device. Read more

Gadget makes scrambled eggs in the microwave

• By Michelle Ramos
• April 11, 2017

When I opened the Egg-Tastic box, I knew there was hope for this microwave scrambled egg maker. Read more

Circular cooker falls short of fantastic

• By Michelle Ramos
• April 4, 2017

A couple of people who’d seen the Flippin’ Fantastic commercial wanted to know if it really was fantastic. Read more